Parenthood
by Millersissysam
Summary: Emily finds out that Lorelai and Rory are living in the shed at the Inn. Emily tries to get custody of Rory and who happens to be presiding over the case, well it just happens to be Hartfords own Judge Amy Gray.
1. Chapter 1

_I know it has been like forever since I have written a story but I recently found the joy that is the show Judging Amy and had this idea. Judging Amy and Gilmore Girls both take place in Connecticut and I know the time frames are off but try to stick with me here. In the episode "Emily in Wonderland" we see Emily's reaction to Lorelai and Rory's first home, but what if she had found out while they were still living there? Now I have not seen that many episodes of Judging Amy but I was kind of thinking this would be set toward the beginning of the series, and way before the start of Gilmore Girls (like right before they move into their current house, when Rory was about 10). Now just go with me on this, OK?_

It was October 8th, Rory's tenth birthday and Emily had a surprise for her precious granddaughter; horse riding lessons at the prestigious country club that she attended. The problem was that Emily couldn't stand the idea of just telling Rory at dinner that night, she wanted to tell her and then go to the stables and see her granddaughter ride her first horse. Emily had decided that she was going to show up and surprise Rory; she just didn't know quite where she lived. She did however know where Lorelai worked; and that was exactly where she was headed. Lorelai was preparing for a wedding the coming weekend, as the newly appointed Director of Events this was her first chance to prove herself to Mia. She was talking to the bride over the phone once again about the centerpieces and was rubbing her head to try to delay a headache when her mother came in the front door. Lorelai stammered out an excuse to the frantic bride and went to stop her mother from intruding into her workplace. "Mom, what are you doing here? Dinner isn't till tonight." Lorelai blurted out. "Hello to you too, Lorelai. Well this is quite a place that you have here." Lorelai spotting her boss Mia and responded by attempting to get her mother towards the door as fast as possible. "I know that mom, and you still didn't answer my question. What are you doing here? You never come to Stars Hollow, not even when Rory invited you last time we had dinner." "Actually I came to see Rory, but I did not have an address so I came here. You frequently mention your work when you make your occasional visits; I thought I might see it for myself." Emily resisted her daughter's attempt to get her out the door and went instead toward the seating area in the lobby. "Mom, Rory isn't out of school yet. It is Monday and she would never miss school. She should be here soon though." Emily sat down on one of the wing-back chairs and declared that she would wait. Lorelai nodded and went over to Mia "I'm so so sorry. She came to see Rory, and she didn't tell me she was coming or anything. And Rory isn't out of school yet so she decided she would wait until Rory gets here…" "Lorelai it is fine. You can calm down Rory will be here soon and once she sees her she will probably leave." Mia told her calmly. "Thanks Mia. I really owe you for this. She can be so…" "Lorelai it's OK, just go talk to her." Lorelai huffed out a breath before going back over to her mother. "Rory usually gets here at three. But it really depends on the bus so she may be a little later than that." Lorelai rambles as she looks at her mom. Emily just nods as she continues to inspect the Inn that Lorelai so cares for. They sit in silence until Rory comes in. The little girl that both of them adore walks in quietly and she scans the room for her mother. Her eyes light up when she finds her but her look turns to one of puzzlement once she sees her grandmother there too. Rory goes to hug her mom then turns and gives her grandmother a kiss on the cheek. "How was school today sweetie?" Lorelai asks as Rory sits down. "Great, everyone sang to me at lunch and Sookie's cookies were awesome. Oh and I finished my new book already." Rory tells her mom proudly. "Already you just got it this morning?" Lorelai says to her daughter, almost forgetting that her mother is there. "Yeah, it was so good I couldn't put it down." Rory says before focusing her attention on her grandmother. "Grandma what are you doing here? Aren't we going to your house for dinner tonight?" Rory asks confused by her Grandmother's presence. "Yes we are having dinner tonight but I wanted to give you your present now." Emily says sweetly to the child. "Yes another present. Mom already gave me the new Harry Potter book, but I haven't opened anything else yet. We still have 9 more to go, right mom?" Rory asks sweetly. "Yep, 9 more; one present for each year you've been my little girl." Lorelai says with a big smile. Emily rolls her eyes at the idea before explaining her gift. "Rory I want to take you to do something special for your birthday this year. You are 10, and I believe that means that you are old enough to learn how to ride a horse." Rory squeals with excitement at the idea and looks to her mom for approval. "Mom, can we go please? I know you had the afternoon all planned out but pretty pretty please? Can we go?" Rory begged. "Rory it is fine we can do everything I had planned another time, it's not every day that your grandmother can take you riding." Lorelai responds to her daughter. "But we do need to go change. Do you mind if I come along mom?" Lorelai adds. "Not at all." Emily responds quickly. Rory gets up to go change and Lorelai follows. Emily, not wanting to be left behind gets up too. Rory leads the way to their house and Lorelai doesn't think anything about it till she hears her mother's gasp. That is when Lorelai realizes that her mother has seen the renovated storage shed that they call home. It is very unconventional but it works for them, but she knows her mother hates it and the independence it means for her and Rory. Rory goes in and heads straight to the bathroom area where she closes the curtain to change. Lorelai and Emily are stuck in the every-other-room-in-a-normal-house and Emily takes in her surroundings. Two twin beds in one corner, a bathroom with a curtain for walls in another corner, a couch, fridge, and TV in another corner; there is rosebud wallpaper and pink everywhere. It is completely inappropriate and Emily is astonished at just how much her daughter hates her; enough to live in this dump of a place. Rory changes into nice looking play clothes and then Lorelai goes to change too. When the girls are ready they leave, all of them silent; Emily because she is astonished, Lorelai because she does not want her daughter to witness the fight she knows will happen, and Rory because she can tell something is going on and she brought a book. Emily drives them to the country club and takes them to the stables. They stay relatively quiet through everything and when Rory's lesson is over Emily talks the girls into going straight to dinner since they are already in Hartford. Lorelai's house is not mentioned during drinks with her father or when Rory opens her presents. But during dinner Emily makes a backhand comment that neither Richard nor Rory understood. Lorelai however asks to see her mother in the hall. "Mom I know you must be furious but I had to do it." Lorelai starts by trying to explain herself. "Lorelai you know that is not at all true. You did not have to take that poor girl away from here and to that shack you call a home. Do you really hate me that much?" Emily says angrily. "Mom I do not hate you. I couldn't raise her here, not with the nannies and the maids and you keeping her from me. I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't let her be raised by other people." "Lorelai you were too young to understand but that is how things are done." "Not with Rory. She is such an amazing little girl she deserves much more then I can give her, but I know she also deserves to have a real mom instead of a tribe a hired help who barely show interest in her real self." "Lorelai just stop now. Dinner is getting cold." Emily responds before walking away. Dinner continues in silence and Richard drives the girls home, silently handing Lorelai an envelope she knows will contain a check; just like he does every holiday and birthday. Lorelai puts on her happy face and gets Rory and herself ready for bed.

3 weeks later

Lorelai has been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since Rory's birthday. She knew her mother was going to do something but she never imagined it would be this big. "I can't believe she is doing this." Lorelai declares to her best friend Sookie as she basically chases her around the kitchen with the letter in her hand. "What gives her the right to call you an unfit mother? You and Rory are like the best mother-daughter team I have ever seen." Sookie says exasperated. "She thinks she can just waltz in and take my daughter like she's Cruella and Rory is a puppy." Lorelai shouts. "I have one week to get a lawyer, and figure this out, and… Oh my god. Sookie I just can't believe this." "Lorelai you can and will fight this. The whole town is behind you. Nobody will be taking Rory away from you, especially not you mother." "Thanks Sookie, that means a lot. I got to go. Rory will be home soon and I still need to find the Martin Scorsese of lawyers." Lorelai says before leaving the kitchen.

_That is it for now. I know all Gilmore right now but I will get into the Judging Amy part next chapter. Till then…_


	2. Chapter 2

_OK here comes chapter two. This one will be a short one about Judging Amy, just kind of a comparison type thing, and then we will move on to the actual crossing of the shows in the next chapter. Oh and just to be clear. I own nothing, not Judging Amy or Gilmore Girls, or anything, just this random idea in my wacky head._

"Morning Noodle. It's time to get up." Amy says as she tries to coax her daughter awake as she opens the blinds. "Mom my tummy hurts." Lauren states as she pulls her stuffed animal closer to her. "Well sweetie if you haven't thrown up you really shouldn't be staying home from school today. You have that spelling test today anyway and you really don't want to miss that do you?" Amy says as she kneels down to her daughter's bed. "But I really don't want to throw up at school again." Lauren complains as she gets up. "Lauren you need to stop pretending to be sick so you don't have to deal with your teacher." Amy reprimands. "But she's mean. And she keeps moving me." Lauren says as they go downstairs. "Well I told you that you need to stop talking so much." Amy says as she grabs the cereal.

"Hello dear." Maxine greets the girls as she comes down the stairs. "Morning Ma." Amy responds. "Do you have drop-off duty at Lauren's school again today? Usually you two are not up this early." Maxine asks as she reaches for the coffee. "Yeah. I was thinking of trying to get an afternoon off to switch to another duty but it looks like that is not going to happen soon with the case load I have this week." "You could do story time. You always do the best voices when you read me bedtime stories." Lauren says enthusiastically.

The Gray family continues their usual morning routine and Amy and Lauren go to school. "Bye noodle. Grandma is going to pick you up today but I'm gonna be home early so we can get ready for trick or treating. OK?" Amy cheerfully says as Lauren gets out of the car. "You have my fairy costume all ready right?" Lauren asks worried. "Yep we got it all ready last weekend remember?" Amy responds with a smile. "Yeah I 'member. Bye Mom. I love you." Lauren says before closing the door. Amy yells "I love you too." as her daughter walks away and Amy gets out for another joyous morning as the drop-off guard.

_Well that is all for this chapter. I know it doesn't really move the plot any but I really wanted to compare and contrast the family relations between Amy and Lorelai. Ok so next chapter will be Lorelai and Emily's custody dispute. Stay tuned…_


	3. Chapter 3

_We are finally getting into the court case part of the story. Look forward to seeing some town members as we progress through the chapter. Just I reminder that I own nothing, well I own all the seasons of Gilmore Girls on DVD but sadly that does not count. BTW I took a couple of name liberties in this chapter because not all characters are given last names in the series._

"Good morning Judge Gray." Bruce says as he places her cases for the day in front of her on the desk. "Good morning to you too Bruce. What do we have today?" Amy asks as she takes the coffee Bruce offers her. "There are 3 custody, 2 abuse, 2 neglect, 3 juvenile offenders, and an adoption. Not too bad for a Monday." Bruce smirks at their inside joke about the usual Monday docket. "What are we starting out with?" Amy quickly interjects. "Custody; Mom and Grandma vying for a ten year old girl; it's the one on top." Bruce explains as he motions towards the pile of folders in front of Amy. "Ok let's go." Amy says as she grabs her robe.

"All rise." The bailiff states as the door opens and Judge Gray walks in. Amy sees an older yet prim and proper lady seated between an older gentleman wearing a bow-tie and another equally older gentleman at the petitioners table. On the defendant's side she notes a woman who looks barely over twenty with brown curls chewing nervously at her lower lip and an attorney with short red hair. Amy sits down before noticing all the people in her court room, most of them sitting on the side of the younger woman. "Ok first up we have a custody case. Emily Gilmore is petitioning to gain custody of her granddaughter Lorelai Gilmore, age ten, from her mother Lorelai Gilmore." Amy says with a questioning tone at the names. "Are all parties present?" Amy asks. "Yes your honor." Both lawyers quickly respond. "Introductions, please?" Amy asks as she does not recognize either attorney. "Nicole Leahy for the defendant Lorelai Gilmore." The female attorney stands up and says. "William Miller for the petitioners Emily and Richard Gilmore." The male attorney says. "OK thank you. Will the petitioner please begin?" Amy asks as she opens the file.

"Emily and Richard believe that their daughter Lorelai is housing their granddaughter Rory in unsafe living conditions and therefore are looking to gain custody of Rory." Amy gets confused by the sudden name change. "Excuse me, Rory?" Amy interrupts. "Your honor, that's her nickname. I was kind of hyped up on Demerol in the hospital and decided to name her after myself like men do all the time; but I didn't realize the confusion it would cause so I started calling her Rory." Lorelai stood up to explain to the judge. "OK continue Mr. Miller" Amy nods. "Since running away from the Gilmore house in Hartford 9 years ago Lorelai and Rory have been living in a remodeled potting shed at the Inn that Lorelai works at. Once Emily and Richard became aware of the living situation gaining custody of Rory seemed the only option to move her into better housing." Nicole rose from her seat stating objection. "Gaining custody was not the only option and the Gilmores did not attempt to talk to Lorelai about her housing situation or their disapproval of said housing arrangements. The remodeled shed is just as the name implies remodeled to have all the benefits of an actual home while being a better option for the monetary situation that Lorelai is in." "Objection noted. Anything else Mr. Miller?" Amy said as she started to get a handle on the case. "Nothing further your honor." Mr. Miller said before sitting down. "Ms. Leahy?" Amy asks for the defendant to begin. "Lorelai and Rory are inseparable as a mother/daughter pair. Lorelai does everything that other mother's do. She reads Rory bedtime stories and helps her with homework and takes her to the park. Just because they do not have an ideal living situation does not mean that Lorelai is not capable of being a good mother to her child. Nothing further." Nicole sits down. "OK, will there be witnesses?" Amy asks the attorneys. "Yes." Both respond in unison. "Ok we will schedule interviews for…" "Tomorrow at nine." Bruce looks at Amy with the time. "Tomorrow at nine, and I would like to have photographs of this 'home' that seems to be at the center of the dispute. Could that be arranged Ms. Leahy?" Amy asks. "Yes your honor." Nicole responds.

Tuesday morning Amy walks into her court to the same scene as the day previous and she sits down with a sigh. "Ok let's begin. Witness for the petitioner." Amy nods at Mr. Miller. "Petitioner would like to have Emily Gilmore take the stand." Emily is sworn in and sits at the chair beside Amy's desk. "Mrs. Gilmore would you please explain your daughter's history to the court?" Mr. Miller asks. "Lorelai was a very rebellious teenager. She would drink at our or our friend's parties. She was often sneaking off with her friends during the night. And when she was sixteen she became pregnant. She refused to marry the father, Christopher Hayden, and had the baby herself. Shortly after Rory's first birthday we, my husband and I, came back from a party on evening to find a note explaining that Lorelai was running away with Rory. We heard from her two months later, and since then they visit our house on every major holiday." Emily explained. "Can you tell me when you first became aware of you daughter's living arrangements?" Mr. Miller asked. "On October 10th this year I went to Lorelai's Inn to give Rory her birthday gift. When Rory came home from school we walked to their 'house' so that the girls could change clothes. I had gotten Rory horse riding lessons and she wanted to be in something more comfortable. I had never been to their 'house' before and was shocked at the living conditions there." Emily said her disapproval evident. "Can you describe their house?" Mr. Miller continued. "It was very small, probably the size of this room. There was a bathroom sectioned off by a sheet hanging from the ceiling, two twin beds near each other on one wall. A loveseat and coffee table across from a television and nearby was a refrigerator and a small sink. It was still obvious that it had been built to house tools not people." Nicole stood with another objection. "Your honor this is all one person's opinion." "Ms. Leahy do you have the pictures I requested?" "Yes right here your honor." Nicole says before bringing Amy a folder of pictures. Amy nodded and told Emily to continue. "Actually that is all, your honor." Mr. Miller pipes up from his chair. "Your witness Ms. Leahy." Amy says. "Mrs. Gilmore did Lorelai ever try to get a tattoo or any piercings? Did she ever dye her hair an odd color or wear inappropriate clothing?" Nicole asks Emily. "She wore inappropriate clothing but she never did any of the other things you mentioned." "What did you consider inappropriate clothing?" "She would always wear this hideous t-shirts promoting 'Guns N Roses' and 'Blondie' also there were ridiculously short skirts." Emily complained. "Sounds like innocent teenage rebellion to me. Why had you not brought up you daughter's living arrangements before you saw her home?" Nicole asks with a smug smile. "I believed that if she were living in a dangerous situation she would come to us, her parents, for help." Emily answered. "You hadn't even thought to ask your daughter where she was living." Nicole stated. "It just seemed unimportant." Emily responded. "So now you want to start looking out for your granddaughter's best interest but you thought that it was unimportant until her tenth birthday?" Nicole responded quickly. "That's unfair." Emily exclaimed. "That's all I have for this witness your honor." Nicole responded before promptly sitting down.

"Next I call Richard Gilmore to the stand." Mr. Miller says to Amy. Richard rises and gets sworn in before sitting in the seat his wife had just vacated. "Mr. Gilmore would you call your daughter a smart woman?" "Yes. She had all the potential in the world before she got pregnant. She was on the fast track to Yale and I had very high hopes for her there. But one Rory came all that went away and she became focused on other things. She is now rising among the ranks at an Inn. I believe she is wasting her talents there but she is not one to listen to her parent's advisement." Richard states very nonchalantly. "Mr. Gilmore how much time do you get to spend with your granddaughter?" "The girls visit on the major holiday's and on birthdays but that is really it. I would love to see Rory more. She is such a bright child. She reminds me of Lorelai when she was her age; she loves reading and has so much potential." Mr. Miller again said that that was all and Nicole stood to ask her own questions. "Mr. Gilmore do you know Rory's favorite book?" Nicole asks calmly. "No I do not." Richard replies honestly. "It's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by the way. I know that and I have met Rory twice, both for about thirty minutes. Mr. Gilmore are you out of town on business a lot?" Nicole asks politely. "Yes quite a bit I'd say." "And do you often work late hours when you are home?" Nicole fires back. "Yes, I am expected to as a professional to work whenever I am needed." "How do you expect to be there for Rory if you work as much as you say you do?" "I have always been a hard worker Ms. Leahy and that did not affect Lorelai's upbringing and it would not affect Rory's either." Richard says firmly before being asked to step down. Mr. Miller says that he has no more witnesses. "We will have a ten minute recess before we hear from the defenses witnesses." Amy announces as she gets up to leave.

Amy walks back into her court room ten minutes later and takes her seat. She clears her throat and immediately dives into the case before her. "Ms. Leahy please call your first witness." Amy says as she re-opens the Gilmore file in front of her. "I would like to ask Ms. Sookie St. James to take the stand." Nicole says as a klutzy young woman with her red hair pulled into pigtails stands from the rather large audience. She walks to the witness' seat, nearly tripping over her own feet on the way and sits down after she is sworn in. "Ms. St. James can you please explain to the court your relations with Lorelai?" Nicole asks. "Well I started working at the Independence Inn eight years ago as an assistant chef and that is when we met. Lorelai was a maid then and Rory was four, I think. Ever since then Lorelai and I have become best friends. We all go to movies and to the town festivals, and I even cook for them when Lorelai doesn't mind trying my wacky inventions. Lorelai was promoted to concierge around the same time I was promoted to become the executive chef at the Inn. Now she is Events Coordinator and we work very closely to help plan weddings and other events." Sookie said rushing through her prepared speech as quickly as possible due to her nerves. "Ms. St. James do you interact with Rory?" "Yes, a lot actually. I see her everyday and she loves to watch me cook, and she will help me sometimes with stirring and stuff. She loves to talk about anything really; books, music, movies, TV, even food. What she really likes is for me to tell her stories of the town from when I was little, see I've lived in Stars Hallow my entire life, well except for college. She really loves the festivals our town puts on and she loves for me to tell her about those because they really haven't changed all that much since when I was a kid." Sookie says with a smile on her face. "Can you explain to us Lorelai and Rory's relationship?" "I don't know that anyone really could explain there relationship. They are as close as any mother/daughter pair I've seen. They're like closer than the Judds or Judy and Liza. They share everything, like taste in movies and favorite foods. They talk all the time and about anything, they can finish each other's sentences. Rory looks up to her mom more than any kid I've seen. Last year over winter break Rory had to write an interview with the person she most respects, but her teacher said that it couldn't be a relative. Rory cried for like two days before Lorelai convinced her to write two, one just for herself and one to turn in to the teacher. She interviewed Mia for the one for school and she interviewed her mom for the one for herself. She didn't even mind doing extra work because she loves school work so much already. They are just an amazing duo." Sookie nods. "That's all." Nicole assents. Mr. Miller stands for his turn questioning Sookie. "Ms. St. James are you ever left to supervise Rory by yourself?" Mr. Miller asks pointedly. "Occasionally if Lorelai is hung up at work for some reason but it almost never happens." Mr. Miller nods. "Can you explain what happened to your hand?" Mr. Miller asks pointing to the large bandage around the chef's left hand. Nicole objects based on irrelevance but Mr. Miller asks to continue for a minute to prove his point and Amy allows it. "I...um…burnt myself removing a pan from the oven on Sunday." Sookie responds honestly. "Do these accidents happen frequently?" Mr. Miller continues. "Yes somewhat frequently." Nicole's head bows because she knows the point the opposing attorney is trying to make. "So Ms. Gilmore thinks it fit to leave her daughter unattended in the care of an accident prone chef who herself admits to her accident prone nature?" "I already said that I do not watch Rory that often, with Lorelai's job Rory is often allowed to stay with her mother, it is an extremely rare case that Rory is not allowed to be with Lorelai while she is at work." Sookie responds angrily. Mr. Miller says that he has no more questions and Sookie returns to the audience as Nicole is allowed to call another witness.

"Would Ms. Mia Baker please take the stand?" Nicole asks as she stands. On older woman with short blonde hair who Amy assumes is Mia gracefully takes the oath and seats herself near the young judge. "Ms. Baker would you please explain to the court your relationship with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore?" Nicole starts the same as she did with Sookie. "Lorelai showed up at my Inn ten years ago with a baby in her arms and asked for a job. There happened to be a position available as a maid and once she was informed Lorelai immediately took the job. That first night I took her home with me when I learned that she didn't have a place to stay and the next day I had a contractor come out and fix up the old potting shed. I knew it was not the ideal place to live but it gave them a sort of freedom while also giving Lorelai responsibility. She pays rent for living there and has been an excellent worker for the ten years she has been at the Independence Inn. I have had the pleasure of watching both Lorelai and Rory grow up in more ways than I could have imagined. Lorelai has grown to become a caring mother, inspiring businesswoman, and a respectable adult. Rory while growing from an infant to an almost pre-teen has also transformed from a shy child into a smart and outgoing child with an extraordinary thirst for knowledge that I have never seen in a child of her age. I have kind of become a surrogate mother to Lorelai and grandmother to Rory. I know that I could never replace their actual flesh and blood but we have learned to become our own kind of family, filled with wonderful people all around our town." Nicole nods at Mia's eloquence. "Ms. Baker could you explain to the court your ambitions for Lorelai at the Independence Inn?" Nicole asks. "As you can see I am becoming advanced in my years and have been thinking of retiring to a place with a warmer climate. The past few years I have been training Lorelai to become the manager of my Inn for when I decide to leave. She has not been notified of this eventual transition and I am hoping that she will accept the position when I decide to leave." Mia watches as Lorelai nods at her with tears flowing down her face. "That is all." Nicole says as she sits and offers Lorelai a tissue. "Mr. Miller, do you have any questions?" Amy asks. "Yes your honor. Ms. Baker are you saying that you offered a job to a young girl without knowing her history? And then proceeded to take the strange girl into your own home without knowing if she was dangerous our not?" "Objection, relevance to the case?" Nicole shouts. "Ms. Baker has proven herself to be a poor judge of a situation, and if so her testimony should be discredited. "Please answer the question Ms. Baker." Amy asks with a sigh. "When Lorelai came to me I saw a scared child, and at 17 that is exactly what she was Mr. Miller. I may have not acted in the safest manner at the specific point in time but I acted based on what was in front of me. A scared, lonely child with no place in the world to go; most of those situations end with a child living on the streets, doing drugs, or selling themselves. I am just glad that I prevented that kind of life for at least one child and possibly two." Mia stated with defiance. Mr. Miller stated that he had no more questions and Mia returned to her seat behind Lorelai.

"Ok Ms. Leahy any other witnesses?" Amy asks as she writes notes on the last witness. "Yes your honor. As you can see from the fullness of your court room the entire town of Stars Hallow believes firmly that Lorelai is an excellent mother, and I could continue for days with witnesses to tell you first hand events of her relationship with Rory but I really don't think that will be necessary. As my last witness I would like to call Ms. Lorelai Gilmore to the stand." Nicole states. Lorelai rises slowly knowing that what she says up there will affect her daughter's life forever. She swares to God to tell the truth and prays to him that he help her through this, for Rory's sake. "Lorelai, can you tell the court more about Rory?" Nicole nods at her. "Rory is an amazing little kid. She loves books like nobody I have ever seen; for her birthday I got her Harry Potter and she read it all in one day. She loves going to school, when she's sick she pretends not to be so that she doesn't have to miss school but I can always tell when she is pretending. When she was little she was afraid to step on grass because it had bugs in it and she didn't want to hurt them, she only recently started walking on grass actually." Lorelai says with a small smile. "Rory and her best friend Lane love the lake at the Independence Inn because they can feed the ducks and we watch fireworks there during holidays. Rory loves Stars Hallow and our extended family that lives there, we go to all the festivals together and we go to the movie theater and the book store. We eat at Luke's diner and the bakery, and after her ballet class at Miss. Patty's on Thursday we get ice cream and eat at the gazebo in the town square. I know that Rory wasn't planned but now I just can't imagine my life without her." Lorelai pleads honestly. "Lorelai have you tried to change your current living situation?" Nicole asks. "Yes, I've looked into some apartments but the ones in town aren't really kid friendly but I have been saving up for a house. We looked at a couple over the summer but Rory didn't like them and I don't want to force her to move somewhere she doesn't like. She kind of liked this one until she found out that the bedrooms were on separate floors, she didn't like the idea of being so far away from me at night because she gets scared easily." Lorelai explained. "Do you believe being a mother has changed you?" Nicole inquired. "Yes." Lorelai stated right away. "Yes I have definitely been changed for the better. I wish my parents could see that but all they see is that rebellious teenager who ran away at 17." Lorelai stated. Nicole tells the Judge that is it for her questions and Mr. Miller stand to begin. "Ms. Gilmore could you explain to the court why exactly you left the comforts and safety of your parent's home when you were 17?" Mr. Miller asks. "I left because I felt I had to. My mother hired numerous nannies and maids to look after Rory and they were told not to let me near her basically. I could not hold my baby, or give her a bath, or put her to bed, or even change her diaper. I had to sneak into her room in the middle of the night to see her. I felt that I had to leave in order to raise my child. I realize now that I should have done it differently, not a note on the table kind of thing but a real explanation but that can't be undone now. Now all I can do is continue what I have been doing and that is raising my child around people who love her and would do anything for her." Lorelai says as tears flow down her face again. "Mr. Miller is that all you had to ask?" Amy asks from the bench. "Yes your honor it is." "Good. I move that the court be in recess till 4:00 at which point the court asks that Rory Gilmore take the stand." Amy says swiftly. "Your honor, I would prefer that Rory not have to get involved in the trial." Lorelai stands to say. "I would like to hear from the child, but if you would prefer that I talk with the child alone with both attorneys present instead of having her take the stand that can be arranged." Amy states. "That would be better yes." Lorelai agrees. "Ok court is adjourned." Amy announces as she stands.

Rory is sitting at child's table reading a very well worn copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Judge Gray, Bruce, and both lawyers walk into the play room. Amy feels lighter without her robe on and quickly sits down next to the child in a little plastic chair, Bruce and both lawyers stay standing watching the pair at the table. "Hi Rory, I'm Judge Amy Gray. I wanted to ask you some questions if it is OK with you?" Amy asks. In response Rory puts down her book and turns to face the judge. "Ok." Rory is analyzing Amy, like she does every time she meets a person; she takes in the messy curls, the lines around her eyes, and the cute red top she is wearing. "I like you hair." Rory states honestly. "I always wanted curly hair like my mom but mine won't do that. Sometimes for special occasions my mom curls my hair with the curling iron but she doesn't do it too often because she says it will fry my hair." Rory rambles on before Amy can get out a thanks. "Rory do you and your mom do a lot together?" "Yeah, we do everything together. We go to the movies, and eat, and play at the park, and sometimes we ever read together at night before bed. My mom does the best voices." Rory says proudly. Amy smiles at the sentence that her own daughter had said to her the previous week. "Do your friend's live in the same kind of place as you?" Amy asks. "Not really. My friend Lane's house has tons of furniture in it, all piled up, it's like a maze. Her mom's an antiques dealer and they live in a big house with stairs and Lane sleeps in a room all by herself." Rory rambles on again. "But my other friend Sarah doesn't have all the furniture. She does have a pool and we go swimming there when it is really hot. But she shares a room with her sister kind of like how mommy and I share." Rory continues. "Do you feel uncomfortable living in a smaller house than your friends?" Amy asks as she studies the look on Rory's face, she notices it as the same look Lorelai wore today when she was talking about Rory. "No I like my house better. We have cute rose wallpaper, and I have powder puff girl sheets, and we don't have yucky tofu stuff in our fridge, and our bathtub has its own feet." Rory exclaimed. "Would you like to live in a bigger house at all?" Amy inquired. "I like where we are at. Why do you ask? Did my mom buy us a house already? She said we were gonna pick it out together like we do with movie's on movie night." Rory looked extremely sad at the idea of not helping pick out her house. "No your mom has not bought a house. It's just my job to ask question's like this. Now, what do you think of your grandparents?" Amy asks trying to change the subject. "They're nice I guess but I don't see them that often and mommy doesn't really talk about them. We go on Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and Easter, and Forth of July, and for my birthday. I think that's it cause they go somewhere else for New Year's Eve and grandma doesn't really believe in the rest of the holidays like Halloween." Rory explained. "What about people in Stars Hallow like Sookie and Mia? What do you think of them?" Amy asks. "Sookie is really funny. We make cookies together while mommy watches and we go to all the festivals together. Mia is really nice, she lets me play in her office sometimes and she dances with me at the weddings at the Inn. She teaches me songs from when she was a girl and she tried to teach me to braid my hair but I wasn't very good at it. And Miss. Patty is my dance instructor and she is so funny and every year she lets me be a daisy in the flower show because she knows that's my favorite flower. And Andrew owns the book shop and he we talk with me about any book, I think he's read all the ones in his store. And Babette is funny too, she hangs out with Miss. Patty and the like to talk; her husband is a musician and he plays guitar for me sometimes. And Luke owns the diner and he bugs us about eating healthy but mommy lets me order what I want except for coffee. Mommy likes coffee and I want to see what it tastes like but I'm not allowed to have it till I turn twelve." Rory states firmly "Do you like coffee?" Rory asks. "Yes I do. Rory do you feel safe living with your mom?" Amy asks carefully. "Yes, she always makes sure I'm safe. When we get in a car she makes sure I buckle up. And she locks the door every night before we go to sleep. And she always looks both ways before we cross the street. And she never yells at me like some of the other moms do to their kids, mommy didn't eve yell when I accidently locked Sookie's keys in her car. Mommy always takes care of me." Rory says. "Thank you for talking to me Rory. It was really nice to meet you." "You too Judge Amy." Rory responds with a smile.

Twenty minutes later Amy is walking back into her court room to decide on the Gilmore case. She sits down and sees that Rory is now sitting on her mother's lap, drawing. "In the matter of custody of Rory Gilmore I find that the petitioner has no evidence that Ms. Gilmore's housing situation fits the states definition of unfit. There are as many beds as people living in the house and there is privacy due to the hanging curtain. I see the close bond between Ms. Gilmore and her daughter and applaud her for deciding to raise her daughter on her own. However after talking with Rory I also see that not having a more suitable house may affect Rory's self-views as she begins comparing herself to her friends. I am declining Emily and Richard Gilmore's petition for custody because Rory is already in very capable hands. However I would like to see that Lorelai and Rory move to a more appropriate house within the next four months, and I know that this may not be easy but it is most definitely in Rory's best interest. Ms. Gilmore will check back in with this court when her housing situation changes, if that does not happen in four months then this case will be reopened. Court is adjourned." Amy declares as she bangs her gavel.

Two Weeks Later

Amy comes into the court house, late, on her average Monday after dropping Lauren off. She is cursing the rain that slowed traffic to a crawl when Bruce lays her mail from the weekend in front of her. On top of the pile is her address at the court house written in very child-like handwriting, and she opens it right away.

"Dear Judge Amy,

I wanted to thank you for our talk. My mommy explained to me that grandma thought that where we were living wasn't a nice place and that she had you ask some questions and then explain to my mom that it would better if we lived in a big house. Well we got a big house now, it has stairs, and I have my own room, and our bathtub still has its own feet. We are going to move into it next week and I am really excited. Thank you also for telling my grandma that my mommy is a good mommy. I know that not all mommies are good and I'm glad I got a good one.

Sincerely,

Rory Gilmore"

Included in the letter was two pictures; one was a picture of the new house, a beautiful big white house with a wrap-around porch. The other was of Rory sitting on a porch swing in paint splattered overalls smiling up at the camera. Then a drawing fell out of the envelope. A drawing of herself Amy realized; it must have been what Rory was working on in court that day. It was her, curls and all, sitting at her bench but she was smiling (which she never did at work) then she realized that she had that day; she had smiled when she realized that she was actually able to keep a family together.

_I know this was a really long chapter but I just had to get it done. I'm sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors I check it myself and that doesn't always lead to the best results. I hope you enjoyed this story, I know I enjoyed writing it for you. Till next time… _


End file.
